en-USBiome360 BlogMicrobiome NewsMon, 21 Jan 2019 20:53:08 +0000http://fishpig.co.uk/magento/wordpress-integration/?v=4.1.1.17https://www.biome360.com/blog/ Breast Microbiome and CancerScientists recently discovered that bacteria living in the breast microbiome may play a role in preventing or progressing breast cancer. The team found that healthy breast tissue bacterial colonies that are often thought to be beneficial to health, while breast cancer patients displayed increased levels of Bacillus, Enterobacteriaceae, andStaphylococcus, which are potentially pathogenic. The study indicates that diverse set of bacterial species occur naturally within breast tissue, which was previously considered a sterile environment.

In addition, researchers found that certain bacteria linked to high levels of damage to DNA were detected more often among samples from breast cancer patients compared with samples from patients without cancer.

This research and its results indicate that the breast microbiome may play a role in mitigating breast cancer risk.

Breast Microbiome and Cancer Research

Samples were taken from the breast microbiome and surrounding healthy tissue from 45 women with a history of surgery for breast cancer. Additional samples of breast tissue were taken from 13 women with benign tumors of the breast and 23 women with no history of cancer that previously underwent breast augmentation or reduction surgery. State-of-the-art DNA sequencing identified the range of bacterial species found in each tissue sample.

Researchers found increased levels of bacteria known to cause damage to DNA by double-stranded breaks in women with breast cancer. Bacteria often considered beneficial to human health— Streptococcus and Lactococccus—were found in increased levels in samples from women without cancer.

This work creates opportunities for future testing if probiotic use can alter the breast microbiome and future risk of cancer.

]]>Fri, 08 Jul 2016 13:59:40 +0000https://www.biome360.com/blog/breast-microbiome-cancer/ https://www.biome360.com/blog/breast-microbiome-cancer/ldavidson@omegabiotek.com (Dr. Kristen Senella)Dr. Kristen SenellaBacteria as colon cancer treatmentNanyang Technological University (NTU) researchers in Singapore were able to utilize the dead form of Clostridium sporogenes, which is commonly found in soil, as well as its secretions, to successfully destroy colon cancer cells.

Lack of blood flow and reduced oxygen and nutrients in colon cancer tumor environments limits conventional cancer treatments, including radiation and chemo, in the colon. The reason for this is because these treatments rely heavily on oxygen to disable the cancer DNA. In addition, blood flow typically delivers the drugs to the tumor, but in the case of colon cancer, the lack of blood flow is a major obstacle.

Bacterial cancer therapy has the potential to overcome this problem; however, it has an increased infection and toxicity risk. Heat killed the bacteria in the NTU study to eliminate the chance of bacterial overgrowth beyond the recommended dose used to kill the cancer.

The researchers performed the experiments in 3-D cell culture (artificial environments, which resembled the human body). This is unique because most studies like this are performed with petri dishes.

The colon tumor cells growth were reduced by the inactive bacteria by 74% over a span of 72 hours.

In addition, the secretions the researchers cultured reduced the colon cancer cell growth by almost 83 percent.

The research team plans to observe the specific mechanisms of this bacteria that aid in eradicating tumor cells. Eventually, they may be developed into effective cancer treatments.

This finding potentially opens novel treatment for the third most common cancer in the world. Although research is in the early stages, this discovery is encouraging for future research.

]]>Tue, 08 Dec 2015 18:17:52 +0000https://www.biome360.com/blog/dead-bacteria-used-to-kill-colorectal-cancer/ https://www.biome360.com/blog/dead-bacteria-used-to-kill-colorectal-cancer/ldavidson@omegabiotek.com (Dr. Kristen Senella)Dr. Kristen SenellaBacteria can improve cancer treatmentsResearchers at the University of Chicago transplanted a specific species of Bifidobacteriumbacteria into the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of mice suffering from melanoma. The bacteria dramatically increased the immune system, which proceeded to attack the cancerous cells. These increases have been comparable to other anti-cancer drugs like checkpoint inhibitors, including anti-PD-L1 antibodies.

Researchers reported that in combination, the bacteria, administered orally, and shots with anti-PD-L1 antibodies almost completely stopped tumor growth.

These results demonstrate a significant, albeit surprising, part for certain gut bacteria in in increasing the immune system's response to melanoma and potentially many other types of cancer, providing a novel way to exploit that connection to improve immunotherapy by selectively modulating intestinal bacteria.

Mutualistic microbes that colonize the gut are crucial for health. These microbes sustain basic physiological processes—digestion, vitamin synthesis, and host-defense. However, disruption of this homeostatic host-microbe relationship can promote disease pathogenesis, such as various autoimmune diseases. Changes in the microbiota can also influence tumor immunity. As cancer therapy develops, it is vital to understand the impact of these treatments on host-microbes and the immune system. Read more…

]]>Wed, 11 Nov 2015 18:28:42 +0000https://www.biome360.com/blog/using-the-gut-microbiome-to-develop-cancer-treatment/ https://www.biome360.com/blog/using-the-gut-microbiome-to-develop-cancer-treatment/ldavidson@omegabiotek.com (Dr. Kristen Senella)Dr. Kristen SenellaGut bacteria may affect cancer treatmentsHow well a cancer treatment works might depend on what’s living in your gut. Two studies in mice have shown that gut bacteria can influence the effectiveness of treatments for cancer.

Drugs such as ipilimumab, which is given to people with advanced melanoma, work by activating the immune system to help it fight cancer.

Some people who take the drug experience inflammation in the gut. This led Mathias Chamaillard at the University of Lille, France, to wonder whether gut bacteria might be interacting with the drug.

To investigate, Chamaillard and his colleagues gave ipilimumab to mice that lack bacteria in their gut. The drug wasn’t as effective at treating cancer in these mice compared with mice with normal gut bacteria. The effectiveness of the drug also decreased when the normal mice were given antibiotics to wipe out their gut bacteria. Read more…

]]>Wed, 11 Nov 2015 18:08:33 +0000https://www.biome360.com/blog/gut-bacteria-may-affect-cancer-treatments/ https://www.biome360.com/blog/gut-bacteria-may-affect-cancer-treatments/ldavidson@omegabiotek.com (Dr. Kristen Senella)Dr. Kristen SenellaBacteria in Gut Improves Cancer TreatmentThe mere presence of certain gut bacteria significantly affects the success of certain cancer treatments, according to two recent studies appearing in Science. Previous studies have revealed similar evidence that the inflammatory response to certain bacteria is beneficial in some therapies; however, the new studies represent an essential extension of this research, making it increasingly clear that the gut microbiome plays a major role in inflammation and immunity, and potentially general health.

Researchers observed that gut microbes seem to control the host immune responses triggered by cyclophosphamide, an anticancer drug, and specific immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatments in cancer mouse models. Both studies revealed that germ-free or antibiotic-treated mice responded with less success to tumor-targeting therapies than those with rich and diverse gut microbiomes.

Often, we think about the gut microbiome influencing only surrounding intestinal organs. These novel concepts of the microbiome affecting the entire body as a whole is groundbreaking. Both studies are very exciting in that they show initial correlations between gut microbiota and response to therapies and harness our microbiome to help us fight cancer. Conversely, dybiosis might make fighting cancer harder. The research results highlight the importance of microbes in shaping not just our risk of disease, but our recovery from it.

]]>Wed, 11 Nov 2015 16:39:33 +0000https://www.biome360.com/blog/gut-flora-boost-cancer-therapies/ https://www.biome360.com/blog/gut-flora-boost-cancer-therapies/ldavidson@omegabiotek.com (Dr. Kristen Senella)Dr. Kristen SenellaThe Latest Cancer Treatments Rely on BacteriaThe discovery of immunotherapy brought hope to cancer research for a potential cure; however, researchers soon discovered it wasn’t as effective as originally anticipated. After decades of research, scientists have finally found effective ways of turning the immune system against tumors: the gut microbiome. End-stage kidney cancers and melanomas have been cured in patients. Immunotherapy coupled with bacteria might be an effective cure.

Two teams of researchers have shown that the presence of certain gut microbes can significantly influence the immune system's ability to deal with cancer in mice, showing promise for future human studies. These microbes may predict an individual's susceptibility to cancer, and how well they respond to immunotherapy drugs. In addition, certain species of bacteria are especially potent at directing anti-tumor immunity, proposing novel cancer drugs that are more potent.

Although both studies were done in mice, they may reveal why checkpoint inhibitors work so well in some cancer patients. That subset may harbor certain gut microbes, including Bacteroidesand Bifidobacterium, which make these drugs more effective.

If what researchers suggest is true, sequencing a patient’s microbiome may predict how they will respond to ipilmumab and other immunotherapies. If their odds are not optimistic, doctors might prescribe next-generation probiotics that include Bacteroides or Bifidobacterium species, or other immune-stimulating bacteria. Fecal transplants from patients who are responding well to the drugs may also be administered. These treatments may lead to greater drug effectiveness and better results for groups diagnosed with certain cancers.

]]>Wed, 11 Nov 2015 13:32:39 +0000https://www.biome360.com/blog/the-hottest-new-cancer-drugs-depend-on-gut-microbes/ https://www.biome360.com/blog/the-hottest-new-cancer-drugs-depend-on-gut-microbes/ldavidson@omegabiotek.com (Dr. Kristen Senella)Dr. Kristen SenellaImmunotherapy may rely on microbes in the gutTwo new studies have revealed the mere presence of specific types of gut bacteria in mice can boost anti-tumor effects of cancer immunotherapy, hinting that cancer treatment in humans may rely on the bacteria that lives in their gut.

Cancer immunotherapies, which block immune inhibitory pathways, are available as treatment for some types of cancer but the responses to these treatments have varied greatly with little explanation. Prior to these new studies, it was not clear what factors were linked to these differences. While not the first to propose that gut microbes can influence the effectiveness of cancer therapy, the two new studies provide a definitive link between gut microbiome populations and cancer immunotherapy response, implicating the beneficial part of certain microbes.